Europe on high alert for undersea sabotage by Russian spy ship

Tensions rise as British Defence Secretary reveals nuclear submarine deployed to monitor vessel and escort it out of UK waters

HMS Somerset flanks Moscow's spy ship Yantar this week in UK waters. Royal Navy / MoD

Northern Europe is on high alert for sabotage of its vital undersea cables, with tensions rising after a Russian spy ship was escorted out of British waters.

In an unusual show of strength, a Royal Navy nuclear hunter-killer submarine was ordered to surface next to the Yantar to demonstrate that it had been covertly trailed. Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey disclosed the action while also announcing he had changed the “rules of engagement” to allow warships to get much closer to Russia vessels.

In a strident statement to parliament, he also said he had a message for President Vladimir Putin: “We see you. We know what you're doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”

RFA Proteus monitors Yantar in November 2024. Photo: Royal Navy / MoD

The allies have now deployed the Nordic Warden advanced AI-assisted computer system activated last month to monitor key areas. When it detects a potential threats it generates an alert to Nato. There are growing concerns that Russia is conducting an active sabotage campaign against undersea cables that are vital for communications, especially for international banking transactions.

On Christmas Day another Russian ship in the Baltic Sea, the Eagle S, allegedly dragged its anchor across the seabed, severing the Estlink cable between Finland and Estonia. The Yantar is equipped with mini submarines that are understood to be capable of diving to 6,000 metres and can cut cables.

That was why the Royal Navy was put on high alert when the ship returned to British waters this week after it was caught loitering near critical undersea structures on its way to the Mediterranean in November last year. The frigate HMS Somerset and offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne were both dispatched on Monday to escort the Yantar out of the English Channel.

Both warships monitored the vessel “every minute through our waters”, Mr Healey said. “I changed the Royal Navy's rules of engagement so that our warships can get closer and better track the Yantar,” Mr Healey told MPs. Pictures released by the Minister of Defence show the frigate within a few hundred metres of the Russian vessel.

“I also wanted to confirm that I authorised a Royal Navy submarine, strictly as a deterrent measure, to surface close to Yantar to make clear that we have been covertly monitoring its every move,” he said. He added that Moscow’s spy ship was now heading into Dutch waters, likely on its way back to Russia via the North Sea.

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said while it was “unusual to go into such operational detail” over Royal Navy movements, this sent “the strongest possible signal to adversaries about our clear intent to protect and defend our homeland”.